Remix Your Mindset

Is the act of creating greater than the creation itself? Music Remix in the Classroom opens the reader up to a culture where music creation, and remixing of another artist’s work, is an expression of appreciation, nostalgia, and a rejection of the status quo of ownership. Remixing music spans genres and can be as simple as “sampling”, or taking a piece, of another track. It can also be as complex as rewriting and reinterpreting an original song with new instruments and melodies. The key to remixing is the recognition of the original piece.

There are multitudes of platforms to remix music from. One such application is Audacity. Within Audacity, the user can essentially dissect, rearrange, and create audio and music files. Seeing as I am no expert, discussing how to execute Audacity would be a ruse. Therefore, I shall play and explore on my own, as I would encourage you and my students to do.

I’m realizing that there are so many digital platforms to create one’s story and expression. Using a remix platform is no exception. As the article states, “The idea that doing it yourself is a worthwhile activity in and of itself,” (pg 32). When we create and ultimately share our thoughts with an audience, we are engaging in a conversation with our community. I have felt in the past that we have lost a sense of community as technology has progressed, yet I am changing my mindset to engage in community in a different way. If we can encourage our students to do the same, we can continue to foster a mindset of problem solving and innovation through collaboration.